Wedding Train

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Culture Ndebele

Title Wedding Train (Nyoka)

Date Early 20th century

Medium Glass beads and cotton thread

Dimensions Object: 77 × 8 7/16 in. (195.6 × 21.4 cm)
Overall: 77 × 8 7/16 in. (195.6 × 21.4 cm)

Credit Line Gift of Claire and Michael Oliver, Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University

Accession Number 81.58

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About this Work

This wedding train would have been worn by a young woman as part of her wedding ensemble, attached to the wedding cape or blanket or hung from the bride’s neck or head. The name nyoka, “snake,” refers to the appearance of the train as it moves behind the bride while she dances. Unlike much Ndebele beadwork, the beads of the nyoka are not attached to fabric, fiber, or animal skin, but instead they are individually sewn together. The predominance of white beads and the small size and simplicity of geometric patterns created by colored beads indicate that this wedding train dates to the early twentieth century.

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Provenance research is ongoing for this and many other items in the Eskenazi Museum of Art permanent collection. For more information about the provenance of this artwork, please contact the department curator with specific questions.

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"Wedding Train | Collections Online." Collections Online. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, 2025. https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/collections-online/browse/object.php?number=81.58